Symmetry Solutions Blog

When using the meta-properties in 3DVIA that are coming from the Custom Properties in SolidWorks files, be aware how 3DVIA deals with capitalization of the property names.

While SolidWorks and Windows Explorer don’t see the difference between DESCRIPTION, Description, and description (as long as they are all spelled the same), 3DVIA see these as three different properties. Therefore if your BOM only lists DESCRIPTION and some of the actors have one of the other two variations of the word, that cell in the BOM will be blank.  So it is important to verify that the Custom Properties are consistent.

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Starting with 2010 SP3.0, SolidWorks is checking whether you are on subscription before you install the service pack.  With SP3.0 you will just get a warning if you are not on subscription but starting with SP4.0 you will not be able to install. 

For network licenses, the expiration date is saved on the license server and that is the date that is checked during installation.  Depending on the date the SNL Manager was activated and the subscription expiration date, you may get the message that your subscription has expired even though it has been renewed. Read more…

If you are experiencing slowness or sluggishness while working on SolidWorks models and you open your files over a network, it is worthwhile to check to see if the network is causing at least some of the problems. 

To test whether performance issues are related to opening files over a network, place an assembly and its referenced files on your local hard drive and work on the assembly from there.

Procedure:

1. If you have the assembly open, go to File>Pack and Go …
2. Alternatively, in Windows Explorer, browse to the assembly, right click, click on SolidWorks, then Pack and Go …
3. In the Pack and Go window, in Save to folder – browse to a folder on your C:\ drive and place in a temporary folder.  In this example I created a new folder just to test this assembly.
4. Add a prefix or a suffix to change the filenames of all of the models so these won’t be confused with your regular models.
5. Click Save

 Open this assembly and work with it for a while and see if you notice an improvement in performance.

One of the many advantages of any CAD system is the ability to reuse design data in new designs.  Copying an existing design and then making changes has saved companies tremendous amounts of time and money.  Here is an easy way to reuse a design including the drawings and save it with a new file name. Read more…

If you ever need to send files to a customer or client you have several different options.  The method will depend on how much information you want them to have and whether or not they have SolidWorks.  Do they need just the drawing, a full assembly model and all of the components, the shape and size of an assembly but without any details, or just a picture?

1. eDrawing

You can send an eDrawing (which will allow them to look at the drawing and the model.  They can rotate the model around and hide components.)  Go to File>Publish eDrawing s File which will open up your file in eDrawings.  From eDrawings you can save it as an executable file so the client will be able to open it without having to install eDrawings.  The advantage to this is that they don’t need SolidWorks and the package to send to them is relatively small.

2. Pack and Go

If you want them to be able to look at the models along with the drawings, then you need to send them all of the component models, the assembly model and drawings.  The easiest way to do this is with Pack and Go.

1. In Windows Explorer right click on your main assembly drawing, click on SolidWorks, then select Pack and Go …
2. If the assembly drawing is open, go to File>Pack and Go…
3. You’ll open a window like this:

     4.    SolidWorks will gather up all of the models required for the drawing.  You have the option of saving them into a zip file.  You can even add a prefix or a suffix to each of the file names.

3. Save as Part

If the client just needs the overall shape and size of your model or you don’t want them to have any of the details of the assembly, then you can save your assembly as a part.  You can choose to save the exterior faces, the exterior components, or all of the components.  (You would see the difference if you did a section through the part or checked the weight of the part.)

1. Your customer may need your file in a different format than SolidWorks such as IGES, STEP, ProE, or one of the other available types.  With the assembly or part open, go to File>Save As and in the Save as type: drop down select the correct type.  Click on the Options button to modify any of the optional settings for the particular file type you have selected.
2. 
3. Sometime you may just need a “picture” of your model or the drawing.  In this case you can save your file as a pdf, jpeg, or tif.  Again, just select the appropriate type from the Save as type: drop down list.
4. If you just want them to look at just the drawing and not the model, you can save a detached drawing.  It’s like creating a “snapshot” of the drawing.  You do not need to send the models along with drawing for the client to view the drawing.  Just do a Save As and select detached drawing as the type.  The client must have SolidWorks to open the drawing.
5. You can export the sheet metal flat pattern from the model file.  Right click on the flat pattern in the Feature Manager Tree and select Export to DXF/DWG.  You will be able to choose what to include and also have a chance to clean up extraneous entities.  You can also save a drawing as a DWG or DXF file with a Save As.  Click on the Options button to set the version.
   

There are several reasons why you may need to find the internal volume of your design:  the amount of oil needed to fill a gear box, the volume of a tank with a pump, heater, or other items inserted, or the fluid volume of a bottle or jug.

The process is easy and quick.

Preparation

Part (Can be a multibody part): No preparation necessary.

Assembly: Save the assembly as a part including all components.

Create a box around your model

Start a sketch that completely encompasses your model on the left, bottom, and right side.  The top will be the “fluid” level.  In the case of the gear box, I want to find the entire interior volume so my sketch completely encloses my model.  And since I know one of your standard planes goes through the middle of the part (remember to try and be symmetrical to the planes) this sketch will be on that plane.

Now do a midplane extrude to completely enclose your model.  Make sure to uncheck Merge result.

Combine

I now have 6 bodies in this file: 5 from the original assembly and the one that I called oil, which will eventually represent the interior volume.

Select the body that is the “fluid”, then hold “Ctrl” and select the other body (bodies).  Right click and select “Combine.”  You want the Main Body to be the “fluid” and everything else to be the Bodies to Combine. 

We are going to Subtract the “fluid” (the rectangular block) from the gear box.

Click the green check mark.  A dialog box will appear. To select the Bodies to Keep – click on Selected bodies, then check Body 2.  We want to keep just the interior fluid.   

What remains is an exact shape of the interior.

Check the mass properties to get the volume which can then be converted to whatever units you need.  In this example, the volume is 72.46 in³ which converts to 0.31 gallons. (multiply by .00433)